KWAK Kyung-taek has a knack for using the cityscape of Busan, “the film capital of Korea,” in his movies that are also known for main characters who personify traditional Korean male values of male bonding and camaraderie, perseverance, and passion. He made his directorial debut with the small-budget <3PM Paradise Bath House> (1997) and gained national fame with the huge success of <Friend> (2001). The movie attracted 8 million viewers across Korea and set a n... expand

KWAK Kyung-taek has a knack for using the cityscape of Busan, “the film capital of Korea,” in his movies that are also known for main characters who personify traditional Korean male values of male bonding and camaraderie, perseverance, and passion. He made his directorial debut with the small-budget <3PM Paradise Bath House> (1997) and gained national fame with the huge success of <Friend> (2001). The movie attracted 8 million viewers across Korea and set a new box office record as the most popular Korean film at the time. Set in Busan, the movie follows the upbringing and friendship of two local gangsters and their childhood friends. The movie’s scenes of violence (a bold decision on the part of the director by the standard of the time) and coarse language (all in the rough Busan dialect) were deemed controversial. After <Friend>, many “Busan movies” poured out onto the market. KWAK also proved to be capable of attracting corporate capital for blockbuster film projects, and was also offered joint production or directing positions from overseas. He is also well versed in English, having studied filmmaking at New York University. In 2008, KWAK co-directed <Eye for an Eye> with AHN Gwon-tae, his former assistant, and in 2011 he directed <Pain>, a melodrama starring [KWON Sang-woo] and [JUNG Ryeo-won], which opened during the Chuseok period, one of Korea’s busiest box-office seasons. Along with <Love> from 2007, <Pain> proved KWAK’s knack for directing melodramas. In 2012, KWAK made the military service comedy <The Ugly Duckling>, which was featured at the Busan International Film Festival. In 2013, KWAK returned to the film that launched him to fame, by making the sequel Friend: The Great Legacy. Though it didn’t scale the heights of its predecessor, the film proved a hit with audiences during the end of year period. Going back to the 1970s Busan, KWAK then made the investigate thriller <The Classified File>. Based on a true story, it focused on a detective, played by KIM Yun-seok, who tries to solve a kidnapping with the help of a shaman (played by YOO Hae-jin). Following that summer hit, KWAK returned with another thriller, this time of the supernatural variety. <RV: Resurrected Victims> starred KIM Rae-won as man whose mother, played by KIM Hae-sook, returns from the dead to avenge her death. close

Korean sales boutique Finecut recently picked up the international sales rights of the upcoming Korean War drama The Battle of Jangsari. Featuring K-pop star Min-ho (ILLANG : THE WOLF BRIGADE, 2018) and Hollywood actress Megan FOX, and co-directed by KWAK Kyung-taek and KIM Tae-hun, the title launched sales at the Cannes Film Market this month. The film focuses on the Jangsa Landing Operation duri...

The BaekSang Arts Awards, a long-standing show body that recognizes achievements in both the film and television fields, held their 55th edition on May 1 in Seoul. The night’s Grand Prize went to star JUNG Woo-sung for his role in the well-received legal drama Innocent Witness, while YOON Jong-bin’s Cannes-selected Inter-Korean espionage drama The Spy Gone North (2018) took home the prize for Best...

Hollywood star Megan FOX arrived in Korea on January 6 for her part in the Korean War film Jangsari 9.15 (Korean title), in which she plays real-life Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Marguerite HIGGINS. It is her fourth trip to the country. Jangsari 9.15 is being co-directed by veteran filmmaker KWAK Kyung-taek (Friend, 2001) and KIM Tae-hoon, who is known for his special effects work on several ...

Bimonthly Show to Feature Diverse GuestsThe Korean Film Council’s (KOFIC) KoBiz is launching a brand new podcast called ‘Korean Cinema Today,’ in keeping with the name of the existing Webzine and tri-annual print publication. The podcast will be recorded twice a month, with some additional episodes to coincide with major festivals and more. Each episode will feature a special guest who will be in...

Major Korean directors introduced to Chinese audiences The Korean Film Council (Director KIM Eui-Suk) has held a showcase event introducing works by major Korean film directors in Beijing, China on December 6. The aim of the event was to introduce great Korean film directors as well as Korean directors of cinematography so that more co-production opportunities between the two countries could ari...

Last week’s top two Chuseok titles switched places but held all newcomers at bay in a solid post-holiday weekend that welcomed 1.91 million viewers. Local titles were once again far ahead with a 78% market share and should remain strong throughout the fall season. Ascending to first place on the back of stellar word of mouth was KANG Yoon-sung’s crime debut THE OUTLAWS with Don LEE (aka MA Dong-se...

Local Films Expected to Recover from the Long Slump Crime drama The Classified File marked the highest opening score for all local films released this year. The KWAK Kyung-taek film opened last Thursday (June 18) and amassed $1.25 million from 181,739 admissions on the opening day alone, beating all earlier local titles’ opening scores this year: Gangnam Blues (152,571 admissions); Detective K...

It’s the season of romantic comedies again. Taking the lead at the box office was About Time, produced by Working Title Films of England, which is well-known for its hit movie Love, Actually (2003). A mixture of time travel and romance, About Time rolled out on 568 screens nationwide on the 5th and ranked first on the chart during its opening two weeks, defeating the sequel to The Hobbit: The Deso...